Cora Gold, the West African focused gold company, has provided an update on its growth strategy at the company’s flagship Sanankoro Gold Project in southern Mali, as the Project advances towards construction and first gold production.
Following the successful financing activities in H1 2026, which ensure Sanankoro is fully funded to production, Cora is now focused on unlocking the broader long-term potential of the Project through an extensive resource growth and exploration programme, designed to expand the current JORC compliant mineral resource estimate (‘MRE’) of 1,044 koz at 1.04 g/t Au, extend Reserve mine life beyond the current 10.2 years outlined in the 2025 definitive feasibility study (‘DFS’) and support future production growth.
The 2026 drill programme will target both extensions to existing deposits and a number of highly prospective near-mine greenfield targets, offering the potential for rapid conversion into future mine plan feed.
Highlights
- 12,000+ metres of reverse circulation (’RC’) and diamond drilling planned across four existing deposits and high priority greenfield targets. Drill metre allocation as follows:
- 40% at Zone B (current JORC compliant MRE of 9 Mt at 0.85 g/t Au for 250 koz)
- 30% at Selin (current JORC compliant MRE of 12 Mt at 1.11 g/t Au for 430 koz)
- 25% at Zone A and C (current JORC compliant MRE of 7.8 Mt at 1.11 g/t Au for 275 koz)
- 5% to greenfield targets
- Zone B expected to be a major focus due to extensive strike length (>2 km, excluding the additional 1.7 km Zone B North trend), broad mineralised widths, extensive artisanal mining activity, limited deeper drilling and significant potential to improve continuity within the existing resource model.
- Greenfield drilling will test several undrilled targets situated near existing and planned infrastructure, where successful drilling could support rapid resource growth and incorporation into future mine plans.
- Updated MRE planned following completion of the programme and receipt of all assay results.
- Exploration activities will continue across the wider Sanankoro permit package, which hosts five major gold-bearing structures and numerous emerging exploration targets.
Bert Monro, Chief Executive Officer of Cora, commented: “Our 2025 DFS demonstrated that Sanankoro is a robust, high-margin gold project with a 10-year mine life and compelling economics. As we move towards construction and production, the objective of this drill campaign is to expand beyond the initial mine plan to unlock the much larger long-term opportunity across the wider project area we believe is there to be drilled out.
“With full construction funding now secured, Cora is in the positive position of being able to advance mine development while simultaneously investing in resource growth and new discoveries. We believe the current resource base is just the starting point and, as evidenced in previous drill campaigns, Sanankoro will increase in size significantly with more drilling in the coming years with this being the first phase of that plan.
“This programme is designed not only to extend mine life, but also to create the foundation for a larger-scale operation over time through additional resources and higher production potential with continued exploration success.”
